Where I have been the past couple years...

Playing with my little girl!

Christmas once again!

Here we are, snowed in once again at holiday time and before I go out and brave the weather and do some shoveling I thought I'd share some of our Christmas decorations this year with everyone.

Handmade grapevine garland strung along the front window.

Vintage pasteboard Santa underneath the Christmas tree.

Colonial Christmas doll (George) guarding the Christmas cards.

Close up picture of the tree and some of it's antique glass and vintage ornaments.

Our little tabletop tree, sitting on my late Victorian pedestal table,
and skirted in a vintage Christmas tablecloth.

Vote

Just a little nudge to all my fellow Canadians out here in the great white north. Today is election day, the fella and I went out and checked our boxes- make sure you do too!

Vote for today, tomorrow and your children's tomorrow.

Don't vote in fear, vote with hope.

Summer's Swan Song

I know it's been ages- days and weeks have skipped by without a wave or a wink, but I'm still here. August managed to fly by no matter how lazy its days claim to be and September has barely introduced itself and yet here we find ourselves in the middle of the month already. I've been gardening, getting eaten by monster mosquitoes, thinking about building an ark, canning like tomatoes are going out of style, and then canning some more when I discover I still have another bushel or something getting progressively riper by the minute in the sunroom. I've been getting a job, helping run a business (and getting woefully behind), reading like a mad fiend, jaunting off to Pennsylvania, gone to see a lovely brass band, and all together having a rather good time.

Summer Bounty. For a garden that I pretty much gave up on,
it still yielded enough to make me pleasantly surprised. Anyone want some zucchini???

But as summer wanes, I find myself trying to get back into things. Back into being a good blogger, and housewife. Distractions abound in the summer, always tempting me to do other things, but now I'm getting things properly sorted. I hope.

I've made a good start today. I have Mary Jane's Crackly Pear Cake cooling off on the stove. Milk setting into cheese on the counter, and bread dough in the fridge for baking a baguette tomorrow. Pork chops, rice and whatever veg (probably zukes and tomatoes) I find in the garden for supper. Might make up a nice gravy to go with.

The Cottonwood Brass Band. Just a beautiful country afternoon.

Have you been busy canning? This is my first real year getting serious about it, and it feels good to get things tucked away to eat when it gets a bit colder out. The Dervaes over at Path to Freedom, are encouraging everyone to be Harvest Keepers, like in the old days. You should check out Anais' pantry! *whistles* It's a beaut!

A summer feast; greens from the garden, fresh strawberries, vinaigrette, homemade fried queso blanco, prosciutto, and bread right from the oven.

Here's my bounty tucked away so far:

Strawberry Freezer Jam
Strawberry Banana Freezer Jam
Peach Freezer Jam
Apricot Jam
Pear Jam
Freezer Salsa
Chopped Frozen Green Peppers
Frozen Hot Chili Peppers
Strings of Dried Hot Chili Peppers
Dill Pickles
Chili Sauce
Freezer Peach Pie Filling
Frozen Tomatoes
Tomato Sauce
Frozen Shredded and Chopped Zucchini

Still to come - Canned Pears, Canned Apple Pie Filling, Apple Butter, Frozen Slice Apples and Pears, Frozen Pumpkin guts, Frozen Pumpkin Butter.

I think I've got my work cut out for me, but I know I'll be really happy in the winter when I don't have to buy a lot of fruit and veg, and I can whip up a pie in a trice :)

Jammin'

The first of many batches of jam this season!

I've made strawberry and strawberry banana freezer jam so far. Though it's already starting to dwindle as I use it on my oatmeal and the Fella loves pb&j for lunches. Mum and I are having a pickling day on Monday- got to discover the secret to her Dills.. and apricot and peach are not too far off. The summer sure does sneak up you doesn't it? One minute you're eying the seedlings and saying "Hurry up, grow!" and the next you're buried in weeds and wondering where the strawberry season went to. I've got a big long list of things I'd like to 'put up' this year, if I get even half of it done I'll be happy as a clam. I've got to fill up those dusty shelves in the root cellar quick as can be. I'd rather be the ant than the grasshopper!

Sensibility Hat Fair

When in Doubt - Wear a Hat!

As part of this month's Hat Fair, started by the ladies over at S&S and run by Janel over at Pearls, we're all blogging our best about hats! Yes indeedy, those wonderful accessories that have been in decline since the beehive hairdo buzzed by. It's a shame that after centuries of never being seen out of doors without a chapeau, that they disappeared so quickly. However, they pop up now and then, in summer you might see a big broad brimmed straw, or in winter a saucy beret in an eye popping colour. It's no surprise to any of my blog readers, I've a little bit of a thing for hats. Oh, all right, a lot of a thing for hats, and I've been blessed with a head that can wear a great deal of them (though not those very large affairs; they just about swallow me up!) You may remember my custom-welded wall-mounted hat rack that featured in a post ages ago. My hats have been accumulating since then, and I'm afraid I've lost count. My favourite styles are cloche hats, though they can be hard to find and very dear to the pocketbook I'm afraid.

Goodness! I need to run off and start supper, so I hope you like my favourite hat picture posted above. It was taken in Williamsburg where one can almost reach historical hat heaven. I walked away with two that day- a lovely shallow crown fine straw hat that is still aching for decoration, and a felt tricorn that is one of the most fun hats I own!

"The right hat may also enliven our imagination of the past....an old-fashioned cloche, a picture hat, or a toque trimmed with a pouf of polka-dotted veiling is just enough to make us feel as if we were living in another, romantic age."

Perfect 1930's Housewife?

83 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!